Ontario-wide probe on police corruption ordered amid Toronto fallout
Ryan Teschner told reporters at Queen’s Park those accusations have rocked the public’s trust in policing, and an independent, provincewide inspection will help restore it.
“If there are vulnerabilities within the systems currently in place in Ontario’s policing sector, or in the standards that it must adhere to, it is essential that they are identified so meaningful, system-wide improvements can be made,” he said.
“This province-wide inspection will be conducted under the authority of Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing Act, the province’s policing legislation, and it will focus on five defined areas with the ability to examine additional ones as the inspection unfolds.”
Teschner said those five areas include officer supervision and span of control, screening and vetting of officers, access to police databases and information systems, evidence and property management, and substance abuse and fitness for duty.
The probe comes after York Regional Police’s Feb. 5 announcement of charges against seven active Toronto police officers and one retired Toronto officer in Project South, their investigation into organized crime and corruption.
The allegations against those officers include bribery, obstruction of justice, drug trafficking, theft of personal property, breach of trust and the unauthorized access and distribution of confidential information.
A day later, Peel Regional Police (PRP) suspended three officers pending further investigation by York Regional Police. A PRP spokesperson told Global News Friday those officers haven’t been charged.
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When the charges were announced, Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw shared that he had written to Teschner, seeking an independent external inspection immediately.
Teschner said he is appointing an external person as an inspector to lead the probe. They will have the same authority as he does to obtain relevant information, and the probe will be conducted in a way that doesn’t compromise or interfere with Project South.
The inspector will then provide Teschner with their report, which he said he’ll review to see if there has been any non-compliance with policing legislation.
If there has been non-compliance, Teschner said he’ll have to determine whether to issue any legally binding directions.
His directions and the full review will be made public, he added, but did not offer a specific timeline as to when they’ll be released.
“If I issue directions, the Inspectorate of Policing also has the legislative duty to monitor progress of how those directions are being implemented, that they’re being implemented effectively and that they’re achieving their intended outcomes,” Teschner said.
The Toronto officers charged in Project South allegedly had ties to criminal networks that were reportedly involved in a conspiracy to murder a man working at an Ontario correctional institution, York Regional Police Deputy Chief Ryan Hogan told reporters Feb. 5.
Hogan said that over a 36-hour period, several suspects went to the man’s home in York Region, at least three times, to allegedly kill him. He said video surveillance shows masked and armed suspects entering the home and, at one point, ramming a police cruiser that was in the driveway.
Hogan said the suspects were arrested at the scene, and it was later alleged that Toronto police Const. Timothy Barnhardt had unlawfully accessed confidential information about the victim.
He is accused of then leaking it to Brian DaCosta — reportedly a key figure in a criminal network operating within the Greater Toronto Area.
Hogan also alleged that information was then released into other criminal networks to cause harm against the correctional member. He said investigators identified several criminal acts that allegedly occurred after the release of confidential information “almost in real time.”
Hogan also alleged Const. Elias Mouawad released confidential information to two other suspects “in support of illicit activity.”
As well, investigators allege Const. John Madeley (Jr.) and his father, retired constable John Madeley (Sr.), both accessed and distributed confidential information.
Barnhardt, Sgt. Robert Black, Const. Saurabjit Bedi and Sgt. Carl Grellette are alleged to have accepted bribes to provide protection from a law enforcement investigation in the operation of illegal cannabis dispensaries orchestrated by DaCosta, Hogan said.
Meanwhile, Hogan said Const. Derek McCormick was arrested for his participation in the theft of personal property from a police facility. The personal property allegedly included driver’s licences, health cards and passports. A “substantial amount” of it was recovered, he added.
The officers are facing a long list of charges. Some include accepting a bribe, breach of trust by a public officer, conspiracy to obstruct justice, drug trafficking and possession-related charges.
Outside of the officers charged, 19 suspects have also been arrested and charged in connection with the investigation, including two youths whose ages were not provided.
Teschner said Monday that Project South is an example of an organization identifying an issue and pursuing it fully.
“Our role now is to look at the totality of the system and make sure that whether it’s about vetting, whether it’s about IT system access or the other issues that I listed, that we give the tools and the rigour necessary to ensure that these systems stay strong,” he said.
— with files from Gabby Rodrigues, Isaac Callan and Caryn Lieberman
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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